Truth or Dare
by whitecrossgirl
Summary: What do the Knights of the Round Table, Merlin and Gwen do when they get bored on a Sunday afternoon? They play Truth or Dare of course!


**AN: My bad attempt at a slightly crack story. I own nothing.**

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon in Camelot. 'Quiet' meaning there were no monsters or druids or sorcerers attacking the kingdom. Nor was there any threat of war from any of the other kingdoms or from Morgana and Morgause. It was as though every enemy of Camelot; no matter whom or what it was seemed to have decided to have a day off. Now normally that would be considered a good thing, except the lack of problems created a bigger problem.

"I'm so bored!" Arthur complained for the hundredth time.

"Me too," Merlin replied. Their boredom was so bad that Arthur had actually run out of chores for the servant to do.

"There is nothing to do." Arthur complained, flopping onto his bed and staring at the canopy of the four-poster bed.

"I think I know something we can do. We'll need the others here though." Merlin suggested after a moment of thought. Arthur looked up.

"What's that?" he asked.

"A game we can all play. I'll be back in a minute." Merlin said, getting to his feet and leaving the room. He returned a few minutes later with Gwen, Elyan, Leon, Percival, Lancelot and Gwaine; all of whom were bored and confused at being summoned to Arthur's chambers to play a game.

"What game do you propose we play?" Arthur asked, sitting up. Merlin picked up the small dagger that rested on Arthur's desk and grinned at his friends.

"Truth or Dare." He answered.

"What's that?" Lancelot asked.

"You've never played Truth or Dare?" Gwen asked. She and Elyan and the other children used to play it all the time.

"I don't think I've played it either." Percival added.

"It's simple. We all sit in a circle and take turns spinning the dagger. Whoever it lands on is given the option of telling the truth or doing a dare." Merlin explained.

"Is that it?" Arthur asked rolling his eyes; it sounded like such a stupid game.

"No; there are three main rules. Firstly the Truth has to be completely honest. Lying means you have to do a Forfeit. The same goes for the Dare; if it's not done then you have to do a Forfeit." Gwen explained.

"Secondly; refusing to do either the truth or the dare; results in a Forfeit. The Forfeit is the same for everyone and has to be done." Elyan added.

"What's the Forfeit?" Gwaine asked. Merlin thought for a moment.

"The forfeit is spending an hour in the stocks being pelted by the other players. You also have to stay in your dirty clothes all day so everyone knows you're a lying coward. And the third rule is that the person who spins the dagger is the only one who decides what the person's question or dare is. Who wants to play?"

"Sounds like a laugh." Gwaine commented and they pushed back Arthur's desk and changing screen to create space for them to sit comfortably in a circle. Gwen got to spin the dagger first under the claim of 'Ladies First.' The dagger landed on Merlin.

"Ok Merlin, truth or dare?" Gwen asked.

"Truth." Merlin replied. Gwen thought for a moment.

"Ok imagine that we're all trapped in a burning building and we're all injured. You're the only one unhurt and know a way out. But you've only enough time to save one of us. Who gets saved?" Gwen asked.

"Hmm, that's a tough one." Merlin commented and he looked around the circle. "Elyan I'd save you but you'd kill me for leaving Gwen to die. Percival, Leon and Lancelot are all bigger than me so I couldn't help carry you out. Gwaine would probably be the one who started the fire and Arthur; you're a clotpole. Therefore I'd save Gwen."

"Thanks Merlin." Gwen smiled as Merlin spun the dagger and it stopped on Leon.

"Truth or dare Leon?" Merlin asked.

"Dare," Leon replied. Merlin thought for a moment, looking about the room for inspiration.

"I dare you to go to the kitchens and order one of the cooks to fill you a bowl of flour. Then order them to dump it on your head." Merlin dared. Leon shook his head but got to his feet and left the room. Five minutes later he came back; his rusty hair and shoulders were white with flour and they burst out laughing at the sight of him. Leon shook his head and spun the dagger. It landed on Gwaine.

"Truth or dare?" Leon asked.

"Dare," Gwaine replied.

"I dare you to run around the courtyard ten times like a madman screaming 'Clear the kingdom, the woodworm is invading'. Once you've done the tenth lap; walk away like nothing happened." Leon challenged. Gwaine grinned and left the room. They all crowded to the window and laughed as the servants and other knights stared as Gwaine ran around screaming about invading woodworm at the top of his lungs. Gwen was so hysterical that she slid to the floor with tears running down her face as Gwaine finished his laps; took a bow and walked away, leaving a stunned crowd behind him.

"Simple." Gwaine commented as they sat back down. Gwaine spun the dagger and it landed on Arthur. Gwaine laughed; he was going to enjoy this.

"Alright Princess; truth or dare."

Arthur hesitated. Knowing Gwaine either possibility would be humiliating but he was not being forced into the forfeit. "Truth." he answered.

Gwaine looked momentarily disappointed before grinning. "Alright this will be interesting. How old were you when you first kissed a girl?"

Arthur turned scarlet. "I was fourteen."

"What?" Gwaine laughed. "Fourteen, you loser! I was kissing girls when I was nine!"

"Well how old were you lot?" Arthur asked defensively.

"Ten," Elyan, Leon and Lancelot replied.

"Nine," Percival added.

"Eleven." Gwen answered.

"Twelve." Merlin finished. Arthur out his head into his hands and spun the dagger. It landed at Lancelot.

"Truth or dare?" Arthur asked. Lancelot hesitated and chose a dare. Arthur considered a possible dare and grinned. "Ok I dare you to wear one of Gwen's dresses for the rest of the day."

"No way, I'm not wearing a dress!" Lancelot protested.

"Then you have to do the forfeit." Merlin warned.

"I'd rather take the forfeit." Lancelot replied, spinning the dagger which landed on Percival. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Percival replied, Lancelot thought for a moment.

"What are you genuinely scared of?" Lancelot asked, wondering if there was anything that did scare his friend.

"Forgetting those I lost." Percival replied. The others considered this in respectful silence; Percival had told them how he lost his parents and four sisters at the hands of Cenred's men. Percival jolted them out of their silence by spinning the dagger which landed in front of Elyan.

"Truth or dare?" he asked.

"Dare." Elyan replied.

"I dare you to go to Gaius' and begin to clean out the leech tank." Percival answered.

"Is that it?" Elyan asked, getting to his feet.

"With your tongue." Percival finished. The others cracked up laughing at the disgusted look on Elyan's face. Elyan considered the options of doing the dare or the possibility of the forfeit for a moment before going to the door.

"Oh this I have to see!" Gwen exclaimed, jumping to her feet and following her brother out of the room. The others followed and stood laughing in the corridor as Elyan walked into the room, picked up the leech tank and began licking it. Thankfully Gaius wasn't there.

"That should be enough." Percival said after a few minutes, Elyan looked ready to throw up. They returned to Arthur's room and Elyan leant against the window; hoping the fresh air would settle his stomach. Percival spun the dagger for him and it landed on Gwen.

"Alright Gwen, truth or dare?" Elyan asked. Gwen grinned at her brother.

"Dare." She replied.

Before he could think of a suitable dare, Elyan retched and vomited into the bucket Merlin had used to scrub the floor that morning but was yet to empty out. The game stopped as Gwen rubbed Elyan's back as he emptied the contents of his stomach into the bucket. Once the vomiting subsided, Arthur got up and poured Elyan some water. Elyan looked at the bucket and grinned at his sister.

"I dare you to take this bucket and pour it out the window." Elyan dared. Gwen recoiled from the bucket; trying not to notice the susceptible lumps that were floating on the top.

"Just pour it out the window?" Gwen asked.

"Pour it out the window." Elyan replied.

"What if it lands on someone?" Gwen asked.

"It's their own bad luck." Elyan replied. Gwen picked up the bucket gingerly and approached the window. Taking a breath, she tilted the bucket and sent the contents flying down to the ground. A loud tirade of curses echoed and Gwen leapt back from the window in shock.

"That hit Lord Agravaine!" Gwen revealed in a stunned whisper. They all looked at one another and burst out laughing.

"Brilliant!" Merlin laughed. He didn't like Agravaine; there was something about him that caused the warlock to doubt Agravaine's allegiance to Camelot. Gwen spun the dagger which landed on Arthur.

"Truth or dare Arthur?" Gwen asked.

"I'll go for a dare this time." Arthur replied. Gwen considered the dare before remembering a certain incident that happened a few months ago.

"I dare you to imitate a donkey for the entire council meeting tomorrow morning." Gwen dared; thinking of the time Arthur was enchanted with the ears and voice when Gaius was possessed by a goblin. Arthur looked at Gwen like she'd gone mad.

"There is no way I'm doing that!" Arthur insisted.

"Then you have to do the forfeit." Leon reminded. Arthur weighted up both options; both were humiliating but being put into the stocks would be preferable to pretending to be a donkey. He would be less likely to be thought of having lost his mind that way.

"Ok I accept the forfeit." Arthur reluctantly admitted.

"I call first throw!" Merlin said, punching the air.

For the rest of the afternoon the eight of them played truth or dare. Over the course of the game Elyan admitted his most embarrassing moment was ripping his trousers whilst trying to impress some girls after he left Camelot. Leon confessed to having a crush on Morgana when he was a teenager and Gwaine revealed that contrary to popular belief; he preferred mead to ale. For the dares, Merlin was dared to sing instead of speak for the rest of the day while Gwen was dared to cartwheel across the courtyard. This resulted in several bruises because of her inability to cartwheel yet the fact she attempted the dare meant she just missed performing the forfeit. Arthur was dared to take the blame for Gwen's dare; resulting in one hell of a lecture about responsibility from Agravaine. Meanwhile Percival and Lancelot were dared to go up to the same woman; one of the kitchen maids named Jessica and profess their undying love before pretending to brawl over her before 'remembering' that it was her sister they were in love with. Jessica didn't have a sister.

Word had spread throughout the castle all day of the strange actions of the knights, Arthur, Gwen and Merlin. Some worried that maybe there was something wrong with them. Others were wondering just how much mead had they all consumed. Despite their concerns; the people of Camelot couldn't deny that it was good to see their prince happy after what had transpired between him, the king and Morgana. A fairly large crowd had gathered to watch as Merlin and Sir Gwaine placed Prince Arthur and Sir Lancelot in turn into the stocks and the others collected rotten fruit and encouraged the crowd to join in as they pelted their friends.

As night fell, the eight of them regrouped in Arthur's chambers. Arthur and Lancelot were still covered with bits of rotten fruit and vegetables but they were still laughing over the various actions of the day. The game was childish but had provided a great way to relieve their boredom and there had been some truly priceless moments. As they all decided to go their separate ways and Merlin was ordered to collect water for Arthur's bath; Gwen and Arthur were left alone in his chambers.

"That was a lot of fun. It's been years since I played Truth or Dare." Gwen commented.

"I'd almost say it was one of Merlin's smarter ideas." Arthur agreed; wiping his cheek before smiling at Gwen. "So Guinevere, truth or dare?"

"Dare." Gwen replied.

"I dare you to let me kiss you." Arthur replied and he covered her mouth with his own.


End file.
